Grootbos Foundation Monthly Update | December 2025

31 December

Foundation

We’re covering news of fynbos in sculpture, an ant that is actually a wasp, and an international chess championship that brought together young chess enthusiasts from the Overberg region. 

Here is the latest from the Grootbos Foundation.

Nic Bladen

Nic Bladen’s collection of botanical sculpture is being exhibited in the Everard Read Gallery in Cape Town. Having selected the plants to be harvested and cast from the Grootbos reserve, we’re delighted to also showcase some of his pieces in the Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery.

Wasp Immortilised

There is a curious insect included in one of the artworks inside the Grootbos Florilegium gallery that might leave you scratching your head.  Meet the Velvet Ant, which is in fact not an ant at all but it is a wasp from the Mutillidae family.

The female wasp is wingless, making it look more like an ant and a modified ovipositor, the wasp’s stinger, packs a sharp, painful jab. The males are known pollinators and have been observed visiting the Livingstone daisy (Cleretum bellidiforme).

Anita Walsmit Sachs-Jansen has immortalised the wasp in her botanical illustration of Cleretum bellidiforme, which is part of the Grootbos Florilegium.

Chess Championship

The most surprising update comes from a board game that has reinvented itself into a sport that is capturing the world's imagination - freestyle chess!

In December, eight of the world's chess grandmasters spent the afternoon playing simultaneous chess against 110 learners from the primary and high schools of the region. This was made possible by Grootbos, the host of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.

What a moment, and what a great way to inspire young South Africans to be creative, courageous, committed, calculating and curious - through sport. It was also a great honour to host Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, at the event, who was as excited as the children to see the Grandmasters in live action. We can't wait to see where this inspirational moment might lead the youth of this region, this country and this continent.

Masakhane Hub Holiday Programme

The Masakhane Hub has offered a creative holiday programme this week to keep kids safe and busy during school holidays. Each participant went home with a small art pack and a snack pack. The programme combined art, listening and language skills with games to encourage fast reflexes that added an element of competition to the mix.

Happy Christmas

The team behind Grootbos Foundation's programmes hopes you had a happy Christmas and festive season with your loved ones.

Thank you for your continued interest, support and good wishes for the work of the foundation throughout 2025. May this New Year bring you great joy, thrilling adventures and meaningful engagements with people and wild nature around you.